But while Faber admits the Brazilian is a “very good” fighter who trains with superb training partners, he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) his body of work means more, and after a long layoff, he’s anxious to prove as much.

However, Barao’s win streak, which currently stands at 28 fights (plus one no-contest), came largely in his native Brazil against a host of fighters with little name recognition. Sure, he’s also posted a 5-0 record in the WEC and UFC, and his recent run includes victories over notables Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgensen. However, with injured UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz on the sidelines and an interim title up for grabs on Saturday, Faber said his experience is the difference-maker.

“I think those guys are looking at statistics, and statistically, the guy hasn’t lost in 18 fights or 29 fights or whatever it is,” Faber said of the oddsmakers’ love of Barao, who’s currently a -200 (2-to-1) favorite. “I guess it makes sense if you’re a betting man to bet on the guy who hasn’t lost in a long time. But I’ve been fighting world championship fights for a long time, since my fourth fight in 2004.”

Faber, a former and longtime WEC champion, also held belts with King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge early in his career. He said title stakes, whether interim or not, bring a different kind of energy to a fight. And it’s an energy he knows well.

“For guys like me and probably him too, it’s just motivation,” Faber said. “This is the exciting time. It’s been like that since my third fight. That was my first title fight. That was in 2004. I was at Gladiator Challenge in an Indian casino, and not many people had teeth in the crowd. I was wearing shoes and you could knee on the ground. … So yeah, I’m used to it.”

Admittedly, not getting his trilogy fight with rival and fellow “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” coach, Cruz, was a disappointment. Faber, though, is looking at the silver lining, even if it has a touch of gray.

“There are some things I wanted out of the other fight that I’m not going to get here,” he said. “But it what it is. It’s a fight for a world championship. It’s against a guy who’s dangerous. It’s hard to focus on anything other than that.”

Besides, more than anything, Faber is just ready to move on. He hasn’t fought since a November submission win over Brian Bowles, and he hasn’t held a title in nearly four years, which is the longest such stretch of his career since he turned pro in 2003.

“I can’t wait to get this done,” he said. “It’s been eight months of training and all these different changes and adjustments and everything else. It’s like, ‘Just let me fight already.'”

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